onsdag 30 januari 2013

I am painting some noble people to have at different scenes at a royal court. There will be a lot of people, these are the first batch (almost). And the names are sillier than I would like to think. Sorry! Here they are together. I won't remove the bases as I'm going to have them in different scenes.

Here is the old knight, Sir Farbrorbla.

His oldest daughter, Lady Tantgron

His second daughter, Lady Brunhild

And his youngest daughter, Lady Gredeline

Two younger knights. Great friends with each other. First Sir Sotlugg

And then his friend, Sir Linlough

And then we have another lady, the lady in red. Who I for some strange reason call Christine de Burgh

That was the court people. Now to something completely out of court! I've finished them at last and I am quite happy with the result!

fredag 25 januari 2013

Around 1988-1992 I bought a lot of Mithril figures and painted them. Not always after Tolkien's books, but as I liked. Then I went back to 1/72 and the Mithril figures went to the cellar in five shoeboxes. When friend Pascal started showing his figures I found some interest to at least dig up some of mine and show them here (and it's great fun and some surprises since I've forgot some of the figures). Don't know if I will find the lust and time to repaint some of them. With full-time work, a sick missus that needs a lot of help and a dog that need walks for a couple of hours each day (except weekends when we are out almost the whole day) there is not much time over for painting. Anyway here are some pics from the latest dig-ups:

M80 Lesinas

Some kind of Tolkienish zombies. Don't think they are in LOTR or The Hobbit, they can be from Silmarilion, but they can also be something the makers came up with or from some game. Wikipedia didn't give anything. The Mithril Database gave the following "(MERP creation) also called Lesinavi, these are undeads from the desert".

M84 Radagast the Wizard

This was a surprise. I had completey forgotten that I had him. Radagast is a wizard in LOTR and Wikipedia gives the following:

"Unfinished Tales explains that Radagast, like the other Wizards, came from Valinor around the year 1000 of the Third Age of Middle-earth and was one of the Maiar. His original name was Aiwendil, meaning bird-friend in Tolkien's invented language of Quenya. The ValaYavanna forced the wizard Saruman to accept Radagast as a companion, which, Tolkien says, may have been one of the reasons Saruman was contemptuous of him, to the point of scornfully calling him "simple" and "a fool".[1] However, he was an ally and confidant of Gandalf, who describes him in The Hobbit as his "cousin". He was also friends with the skin-changerBeorn, who deemed him to be "not a bad fellow as wizards go" and also said to Gandalf that he "used to see him [Radagast] now and again".[2][3]
Radagast lived for much of his time in Middle-earth at Rhosgobel in the Vales of Anduin, on the western eaves of Mirkwood, between Carrock and the Old Forest Road, near the Gladden Fields, its name deriving from Sindarinrhosc gobel meaning "brown village".[1] Radagast had a strong affinity for – and relationship with – wild animals, and it seemed his greatest concern was with the kelvar and olvar (flora and fauna) of Middle-earth. He was wiser than any Man in all things concerning herbs and beasts. It is said he spoke the many tongues of birds, and was a "master of shapes and changes of hue". Radagast is also described by Gandalf as "never a traveller, unless driven by great need", "a worthy Wizard", and "honest".[4]
Radagast appears in The Silmarillion where he plays a part in helping Saruman, who is a member of the White Council, to stand against Sauron. It is mentioned that there are birds among Saruman's spies due to Radagast lending to him his aid, though Radagast knew nothing of Saruman's treachery and believed that he wished to use the birds for watching the Enemy (Sauron).
In The Fellowship of the Ring, Radagast was unwittingly used by Saruman to lure Gandalf to his tower of Orthanc, where Gandalf was captured. However, Radagast also unwittingly helped rescue him by sending Gwaihir the Eagle to Orthanc with news of the movements of Sauron's forces. When Gwaihir saw that Gandalf was imprisoned on the top of the tower he carried him off to safety before Saruman realized he was gone.[4]
The only other reference to Radagast in The Lord of the Rings is after the Council of Elrond when it is decided to summon all the allies against Sauron together. Scouts are sent to look for help, and it is reported that Radagast is not at his home at Rhosgobel and cannot be found. Tolkien makes no mention of what has happened to Radagast, and he plays no further role in events.
Tolkien wrote that he gave up his mission as one of the Wizards by becoming too obsessed with animals and plants. He also wrote that he did not believe that Radagast's failure was as great as Saruman's and that he may eventually have been allowed (or chosen) to return to the Undying Lands.[5] However, Christopher Tolkien notes in Unfinished Tales that the assumption Radagast failed in his task may not be entirely accurate considering that he was specifically chosen by Yavanna, and he may have been assigned to protect the flora and fauna of Middle-earth, a task that would not end with the defeat of Sauron and the end of the War of the Ring."

M89 Beorning Lord

Did remember that I had this figure, but I thought it was Beorn himself. Always thought that the Beornings were a strange invention in LOTR. In The Hobbit Beorn lives alone with his animals and in LOTR there are a whole people called Beornings. Anyway, nice figure! And I'm not too ashamed of the painting. :-D

M90 Woodmen A + B

A double-pack. I like them. Just don't have a forest for them at the moment. And I still like my painting of them. Maybe give them some washes.

M118 Bill Ferny and Southerner

Bill's got paint on his nose! Not my best job! Bill Ferny lived in Bree and was a greedy and cruel man who sold information about the hobbits to a southerner. Don't remember more about the southerner. Wikipedia gives more information about Sam Gamgee's pony Bill, than his namesake Ferny. Another double-pack!

M166 Tughaib of the Spirits

This figure is not from Tolkien, but a figure created for the Mithril range. The Mithril Database has this to say about her: "Tughaib, or "Tughaib of the Spirits" is a handsome woman, born of the harsh highlands of the Misty Mountains. Said to have Elven blood, she was tall, strong and wily. She had a power, born perhaps of that rumoured Elven blood, but also the product of long years of training and learning at the feet of the priest Eribhen who gave her the Ghostbane Staff in heritage.With the power of the staff, she was able to bend unquiet spirits to her will. There, in the foothills of the Misty Mountains, overlooking the barren crags of the Dunmen, she dreamed of becoming a power, a queen of ghosts.History does not tell precisely what happened to Tughaib of the spirits, but the wise believe some brave souls slew her, and scattered her army of dark things to the spring winds in the mountains".

I painted her as just a young woman. Maybe give her a wash sometime.

M177 Dunlendings of Isengard A+ B

Two very nice sculpts! In LOTR the Dunlendigs were used by Saruman to fight the Rohirrim. I had a little trouble seeing the Dunlendings as evil since they had been there before the Rohirrim. So a bit like native warriors against colonials.

M192 Hundin, the bandit chief

Another creation for the Mithril range. And another nice sculpt. The Mithril Database has this to say: "Hundin is the leader of the group of seven bandits of Tir Limlight. Being half-dúnadan, half-northman, he once served in the Gondor army near the river outpost. He may sometimes think about becoming lawful and cease his bandit activities, but so far he has not renounced his current life.
On a side note, this figurine is supposed to represent a close friend of Chris Tubb in real life".

M193 Bandits of Tir Limlight A + B

Two of Hundin's merry men. They could just as well show up in the Sherwood Forest. :-D

M218 Outlaw of the Teiglin

Another figure with paint on his nose. Ooops! The Mithril Database got trouble today, but the LOTR-wiki got the following to say about Taeglin/Teiglin:

In earlier writings, the river was calledTeiglin. As revealed in theHistory of Middle-earthseries, the river name should actually have been speltTaeglin. This was a relatively late change which was not adopted into the publishedSilmarillion, which uses the old name."

That's all for this time! Who knows what I will dig up the next time! I wwas searching for some early vignettes, but these figures wanted out instead. :-D

onsdag 16 januari 2013

Friend Pascal put up some wonderful pics of the Mithril version of Galadriel. That got me inspired to dig up some more Mithril figures. Most are still in the basement and some of these I dug up are only half sets, the other half still in the basement. I never intended to paint these figures as Tolkien-characters! My idea was to tell stories with these. A project that didn't happen, more than I painted a lot of Mithril figures in the "wrong" colours, came up with a lot of small stories and a lot of names for things, places and persons. Sins long ago. These were painted late 80s early 90s!

M1 Galadriel. Just as a blonde woman. No washes or effects.

Another view:

M51 Wolf Rider with Horn & Scimitar. Forgot to bring the rider so it is just the wolf.

M132 Bard of Laketown. His hand with the bow is somewhere. After so many years the wound should be healed.

M155 Thorin Oakenshield. Like this one!

M161 Dis (dwarf maiden). Not often we see these. Nice figure.

M169 Wight of Tughaib. A ghost with a big sword. Tried to give him a mask.

M172 Lesser Ghost of the Under-deeps. Another ghost.

M202 Ioreth the healer. Also a nice figure. Think I have two copies of this one.

M203 Townfolk. Discovered that there should be two figures. Well, the other one is still in the basement. Have two copies of this set. Both painted!

M205 Galadriel enthroned. I like the sets where you got a little extra. First I thought that the throne could be the one behind Denethor, but it was the right one!

M217 Thingol of Doriath. Don't remember where he show up in the books. There were a lot of figures from Silmarillion.

The last one is not Mithril at all, but a figure from Prince August's fantasy range. A bearded warrior.

måndag 14 januari 2013

Been working on my water. Too much white! But I haven't given up hope yet! :-D This is a toy that I will try to learn to make better! Put some bathers there instead of the native americans I've used before.

Blurry pic and bad water, but then you won't be embarassed about the nudies! :-D

Not only working on my water, also working on a series I think I will call The Magic Lute. I think there will be 5 dios in this. One is already finished and soon I will have to make the other four bases, figures are almost ready! Also working on some homecoming scenes.